Over the festive period I wanted to make my nails look that little bit special for the festive season. Short of cash and trying desperately to avoid adding to my increasing credit card bill I decided to deter away from the usual salon manicure and instead headed into my local Boots to see what they had to offer. I have seen various reviews for the Barry M instant effects range including the crackle polish but having seen a number of people wearing this look opted instead for a bottle of the gold foil effects nail varnish.

Instant Nail Effects Foil ~

For those who have not seen this in store let me describe it to you. This varnish comes in a 10ml transparent glass bottle which shows the rich colour of the foil polish within and has the 'BarryM' trademark logo and the website details neatly printed on the front in a text to match the colour of the polish. Each bottle is capped with a screw top lid which matches the colour of the varnish inside and the text 'Instant Nail Effects' printed around the base.

Unlike the normal colour range of nail varnishes from Barry M this foil effect varnish only comes in three colour ways and these are Lilac Foil, Silver Foil and Gold Foil. Whilst I have seen all three colours online I was unable to find the lilac foil in store and so spent many a minute umming and aahing over which to choose; silver or gold.

Upon unscrewing off the lid which serves as the house for the brush applicator, the nail varnish itself is rather medium to fine in consistency whilst the brush has a rather narrow tip allowing for a precise application. It is worth noting that inside the bottle the nail varnish looks very metallic with hints of glitter, however upon applying to the nail the liquid provides a matt finish which leaves a subtle gleam rather than full on sparkle.

As with all nail varnishes this one smells quite strongly upon opening, however it can be removed in the usual way simply by applying a splash of nail remover and rubbing across the nail.

What do Barry M Say ~

When following the website details printed on the side of the bottle it is possible to review the product information from Barry M. They state:

"Instant Nail Effects foil is an amazing addition to our Nail Paints. It is applied like any other Nail Paint but with a luxurious foil finish previously only achieved from a salon manicure. It only requires one coat and is very quick drying."

Price and Availability ~

As previously stated, I purchased a bottle of this varnish from Boots and paid £3.99 for it. However it can be bought marginally cheaper online from Amazon where it is currently stocked for just £3.75. Either way, this nail varnish is a bargain in my opinion for the quality of varnish you get.

Application ~

When reading the side of the bottle it is recommended that you apply a base coat prior to applying this nail varnish. In preparation of this I applied a simple clear basecoat prior to painting my nails with the foil polish. Then I simply brushed the varnish over my nails taking care to wipe off any excess from the brush around the brim of the bottle. The nail varnish is quite thin in consistency and therefore a little went quite a long way.

After applying to my left hand and leaving to dry for a few minutes I moved over to my right and shakily repeated the process. However, it was upon doing this that I accidentally smudged the varnish on my left hand and was slightly unimpressed as I had expected it to be dry given the claims by Barry M.

When both hands were painted I was happy with the result; however I did give my nails a second coat in the same way as I wanted to ensure those small strips of nails either side of the painted areas were completely covered.

The Results ~

This nail varnish provided my finger tips with a gorgeous coverage of matt colour which gleamed under the light. The colour was exactly as it looked in the bottle and this lasted for a good five to six days before it began to chip. The finish was indeed highly 'foil' and I had a number of compliments over my nail colour.

To spice it up after a couple of days I did add a montage of leopard print spots in a dark purple over my foil nails and these complimented the soft glow of the gold beneath.

My Summary ~

In my opinion this is a worth while nail varnish investment which I am sure will sit in my nail varnish drawer for many events to come. I would definitely recommend this special effects varnish for the following points:

* Strong colour and noticeable shiny metallic effect which did not fade.

* Easy application with the small brush tip.

* Excellent coverage with two coats of paint.

* Reasonable price in contrast to other similar brands.

* Durable staying power which in my case lasted for just under a week, very good given my track record with nail varnish.

However, this nail varnish does not come without its criticisms, those of which are as follows:

* It required two coats of vanish for complete coverage and not the one coat as stated by Barry M.

* It did not dry very quickly despite leaving a couple of minutes between coats and I therefore had to resort to leaving each hand for around 10 minutes before I carried on with my present wrapping.

* This vanish takes a bit more effort to remove with nail vanish remover than other types and I was still left with strips of gold despite a good scrub.

To conclude, ladies this is an excellent nail varnish which does indeed provide a salon quality finish and it comes highly recommended, I am therefore scoring it four stars out of five based on my comments above.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!!